raidenofffandomcom-20200213-history
Laurel I Grandelburg
Laurel I Grandelburg was the ninth monarch of Daravia. She was renowned for her encouragements of literature and the arts. Early life Laurel was born to Geraldine I of Daravia, and her husband, the prince consort Garrett. Since she had an older brother, Laurel was at first raised to be a traditional noble lady, but her brother Quenton died when she was five years old, leaving Laurel heir to the throne. Laurel never completely let go of the ways she had been taught in her earliest years, and thus ended up more traditionally feminine than her mother. In particular, Laurel was most enthusiastic about the harp and other musical instruments, even going to a Bicanal music school in her teens. Although she graduated in 105, Laurel was ordered to stay in Bicana for the duration of the Grandelburg Crisis to avoid potential assassination. This led to Laurel eloping later that year with a Daravian actor named Garth Manymask. It is commonly believed that Laurel and Garth had a child together, although no formal proof of such an heir is known to exist. In 107, once Geraldine ascended the throne, Geraldine annulled Laurel's marriage and had her returned to Daravia. This led to substantial strife between the two, and to Laurel's subsequent decision to move to Cadra. Ladyship of Icecliff In 110, Laurel moved to a disused castle called Icecliff on the northern coast of Cadra. She lived there in near solitude, entertaining herself mostly by the importing of artworks from the area. Over time, the flow of paintings and sculptures inspired people to begin visiting Icecliff, and a small town began to form in the area. Laurel, and especially her servants, welcomed this development. It was because of this that Laurel became acquainted with the Agraught family, and fell in love with Peter Agraught. They were married in 115. Some rumors claim that, at Icecliff, Laurel met Garth Manymask again and they carried on an affair, but sources from the time seem to indicate that Laurel remained faithful to her husband. Reign When she heard word of her mother's illness, Laurel decided to try to mend fences with her and immediately set out for Castleton. Unfortunately, she was too late, and Geraldine had died before Laurel reached her. Laurel was crowned hastily, before any possible rebels could initiate another crisis, and she immediately set about importing art to her castle much as she had done in Icecliff. This proved to be quite expensive, so Laurel instead contented herself by ordering the founding of art, theatre, and music academies in and near Castleton. She also served as the patron for a few of her favorite artists. Laurel became a very popular figure among young noblewomen, who sought to imitate her love of the arts and her styles of dress and behavior. In early 138, Laurel began suffering from mysterious dizzy spells; during one of these, she fell down the stairs of her tower, killing her. Personal life Peter, in light of the Garth Manymask fiasco, was slightly suspicious of Laurel around actors. Laurel never seemed to mind this, and indeed sought to respect his wishes by not becoming to close to any of them. The couple had their first child, Quenton, in 116, and the other three in relatively quick succession. Their youngest child, Raynar, died at a young age, shaking all of the family; a posthumous portrait was made of the boy to depict how he may have looked as an adult. Laurel wanted to have good relations with all of her children, so as to prevent estrangement as she had had with her own mother; Laurel most likely forgave Geraldine after a while at Icecliff, as her daughter even bore Geraldine's name. Category:Daravians Category:Grandelburg Family Category:Monarchs